Congresswoman Matsui Votes for Final Health Care Package

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, March 25, 2010

CONTACT: MARA LEE
(202) 225-7163

Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D Sacramento) joined her colleagues in the House of Representatives in supporting the final piece of the comprehensive health insurance reform package that will provide access to quality health care for American families and seniors at a price they can afford. The House passed technical amendments to health-care reconciliation legislation today, thereby strengthening the historic health care package that was signed into law by President Obama on Tuesday. Together, this historic reform package will make critical improvements in our nation's health care system and, in doing so, will reduce the national deficit by $143 billion in the first 10 years.

Congresswoman Matsui, as a member of the House Rules Committee, delivered remarks on the House floor today advocating for the passage of this final piece of legislation. During her speech, Congresswoman Matsui thanked her constituents for sharing their stories with her, and for their strong support of reform efforts over the past year. Her remarks, as delivered on the House floor today, are below. A video is available here.

The health care package that we have the opportunity to finalize today and send to the President for his signature represents years of work and in some cases decades of work put in by many of my colleagues here in the House. And it also represents the hopes and dreams of millions of Americans who live one accident away from bankruptcy, one paycheck short of making ends meet. I have heard from many of the families and seniors who live in my district, who have been terrified as they see their insurance rates go up and are fearful of losing their insurance and high quality of care.

But in between the time this House passed one of the most important legislative initiatives in our lifetime and today, I have started to hear from many Sacramentans with a simple message: Thank you. Thank you to this Congress for having the courage to stand-up for what's right. Thank you to Speaker Pelosi for her leadership in delivering this bill to the American public.

And I would like to say thank you back to the millions of Americans who voiced their strong support of the health care bill. You may not always be the loudest voice in the room, but that doesn t mean we don t hear you.

Thank you to my colleagues for standing up for the American people in the many hearings, mark-ups, town halls, and floor debates we have had on this issue. I look forward to standing with you today as we pass these improvements to the historic legislation that passed on Sunday. I urge my colleagues to support the rule and the underlying legislation, as we stand together to ensure that all people have access to the quality health care Americans deserve - at a cost they can afford.

For comprehensive information on the health insurance reform package supported by Congresswoman Matsui, including downloadable fact sheets, please visit: www.matsui.house.gov/healthcare

To watch additional speeches by Rep. Matsui in favor of the health insurance reform legislation as delivered on the House floor, please visit: www.youtube.com/RepDorisMatsui